Looks like my dream may be over

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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My contribution to this debate concerns my father-in-law who lives in a reasonably large gardened property Gillingham. He built his house for his late wife and young family, on part of his family's farm, this was nearly 50 years ago. This birthday he will be in his 80th year, something he is very proud of as he manages his big garden almost completely by himself. He has kept chickens at the end of his garden for all the time he has lived there, including a cockerel to be able to keep the small flock going. He sells the eggs (lovely brown eggs) at the Country market in Gillingham and the small amount he gets from selling his produce, helps buy feed for the chickens and seed for the garden to grow the veg that he also sells at the market on a Friday morning. Having had a fox visit his hen house twice in the last few weeks, the hens had received a sharp depletion in numbers and some more had to be purchased. This proved a very difficult task as the type of hens he keeps are quite a rarity, that's why the need for a cockerel. Last year his old cockerel died, but fortunately he had a young rather quiet one coming along nicely. It was pure good luck that the fox didn't get this, it must have gone for the older hens which were probably a bit slower on their pins. Having bought at auction 10 days ago, half a dozen new hens, the young cockerel suddenly has something to crow about. And now some kind soul in one of the neighbouring houses has seen fit to complain to the council about the cockerel crowing. This sad person obviously has nothing better to do than complain, but they didn't complain to my father-in-law, and they didn't complain to the town council, they got on to North Dorset District Council. It must please them greatly, that now, they have been asked to keep a record of every time they hear the cockerel, and on what days. What about the barking dogs nearby, have they complained about them? And the screeching kids? And Boy racers? No, probably not, but it's so easy to moan about 1 bird, if they wait a while, it will become a background noise that they won't even notice..... ( I wonder if the complainant buys his eggs from the country market, and if so, are they those very nice brown ones?)
This isn't a new hen house and run, it's been there for nigh on fifty years in the same place. These days, with the invention of double glazing which all the newer houses have which have been built around him and his garden, I can't believe a true country dweller would have any problem with the muted sound of 1 bird.

Whoever this person is, (the council is shielding them) my opinion is this, picking on an old age pensioner trying to help supplement his pension is wrong, they should hang their head in shame.!!!!!!! This is a farming area, and country sounds go with the territory, if you don’t like it, move along. If anyone on here has any thoughts on how we can help the old chap quieten down a young cockerel who has just found his voice, we would be everso grateful..... ps.. the hens and cockerel are Cuckoo Marrans.
 
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